| Summary: |
The project ProLimb aims the development and implementation of a wearable electronic system, to capture physical quantities associated to human locomotion in the most comfortable and non-invasive mode, even for people with serious disabilities and physical impairments. It must also to be simple to manipulate and non-harmful for the patient. The system should be preferable usable as a wearable garment and functionally autonomous, allowing the monitoring of the most relevant quantities, not only in clinical or lab environment, but also in the daily life of the patient, with minimal interference and discomfort.
The quantities to be captured include linear and angular movements of the lower limbs, as well as the myoelectric signals observed at the surface of thighs and legs. The observation of these quantities allows for a multifactorial analysis of locomotion and, consequently, a more accurate diagnosis and the possibility of understanding the role of different factors in pathology. The pathophysiological profile can be obtained to synthetically represent the relative importance of different factors in an individual's locomotion. This procedure can help the physician in the decision taking procedure concerning the best therapy.
The ProLimb project addresses this problematic following an holistic approach, made possible from the involvement of research groups with a strong activity in the domains of textile engineering, microelectronics design and test, and signal processing, in collaboration with physicians, in order to produce a wearable sensors network for capturing and monitoring locomotion characterization quantities in humans lower limbs. |